COTE D'IVOIRE: Children's Rights in UN Treaty Body Reports

Summary: This report extracts mentions of children's rights issues in the reports of all UN Treaty Bodies and their follow-up procedures. This does not include the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which are available here: http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/index.asp

Please note that the language may have been edited in places for the purpose of clarity.

 


UN Human Rights Committee

CCPR/C/CIV/CO/1

Last reported: 18/19 March 2015   

Concluding Observations adopted: 28 April 2015

Concerns raised:

Harmful practices against women: The Committee is concerned about the persistence of certain harmful practices, notwithstanding their prohibition by law, such as female genital mutilation, early marriage and polygamy, particularly in rural areas and in some regions of the State party’s territory. Moreover, the Committee is concerned that the State party cites the economic interests of practitioners of excision as an obstacle to prosecution against them (arts. 3, 7 and 24). The State party should ensure the effective enforcement of Act No. 98/757 of 23 December 1998, which prohibits female genital mutilation, the provisions of the Criminal Code that render early marriage illegal and the legislation that prohibits polygamy. It should also take more vigorous steps to generate public awareness, including among religious leaders and traditional authorities, of the legislation and the harmful impact of such practices on women. (Paragraph 12)

Voluntary termination of pregnancy: The Committee is concerned about article 366 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes the voluntary termination of pregnancy unless it is necessary in order to save the mother’s life, thus prompting women to seek clandestine abortions under conditions that put their lives and health at risk (arts. 6 and 7). The State party should amend its legislation on abortion to provide for additional exceptions to the prohibition of abortion, for instance when the pregnancy is due to rape or incest, and see to it that women do not resort to clandestine abortions in unsuitable conditions that may put their lives and health at risk. The State party should also guarantee access for women and adolescent girls to reproductive health services throughout the country and organize education and awareness-raising programmes that focus on the importance of contraception and of sexual and reproductive health rights. (Paragraph 15)

Human trafficking and child labour:. The Committee notes with concern the persistence of human trafficking in the State party for the purpose of forced prostitution or labour exploitation and of child labour, particularly in agriculture and trade. It expresses regret at the lack of information regarding convictions and the leniency of the penalties imposed (arts. 8 and 24).The State party should investigate all cases of human trafficking and child labour and step up its campaigns to raise public and family awareness of human trafficking and child labour. (Paragraph 17)

Conditions of detention: The Committee notes with concern that conditions of detention are substandard in almost all prison facilities in the State party. It is particularly concerned about the very high rate of overcrowding, especially at the Abidjan Detention and Correctional Facility, and notes the high percentage of persons in pretrial detention in the State party’s prisons. The Committee is also concerned about reports of unsatisfactory hygienic conditions, inadequate medical care and the poor quality of food served to inmates. The Committee is concerned, in addition, about the failure to respect the principle of separation between adults and minors and between remand and convicted prisoners. It regrets the lack of information concerning the effectiveness of the mechanism for receiving complaints from detainees (arts. 9 and 10). The State party should step up its efforts to improve the living conditions and treatment of persons held in custody, including their access to proper medical care, and continue to take steps to address the problem of overcrowded prisons in accordance with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. It should ensure that persons do not remain in pretrial detention beyond the prescribed time limits and should introduce a genuine policy on the use of non-custodial penalties. It should take the necessary steps to separate prisoners by age, sex and custodial status. (Paragraph 19)

Birth registration: While noting the action taken by the State party, the Committee is concerned about the very large number of children who remain unregistered in the State party, especially in the western part and remotest regions of the country (arts. 16 and 24).The State party should step up measures to expedite the registration of children who remain unregistered. It should also reform and modernize its Civil Registry to ensure that births are systematically registered throughout the territory of the State party. The State party should, in addition, continue to mount public and family awareness- raising campaigns concerning birth registration. (Paragraph 22)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reviewed in 2012 as a non-reporting State.

Concluding Observations not available.

 ____________________________________________________

UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

 

____________________________________________________

UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

CERD/C/62/CO/1
Last reported: 12 / 13 March 2003
Concluding Observations issued: 3 June 2003

No mentions of children's rights

____________________________________________________

UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

CEDAW/C/CIV/1-3
Last reported: 14 October 2011
Concluding Observations issued: 21st October 2011

Issues raised:

Stereotypes and harmful practices: While noting the efforts made by the State party to eliminate discriminatory attitudes and traditional harmful practices affecting women and the existence of legal provisions prohibiting most of these practices, the Committee reiterates its concern at the persistence of adverse cultural norms, practices and traditions as well as patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes regarding the roles, responsibilities and identities of women and men in the family and society. It notes that stereotypes are aggravated in periods of conflict and that they contribute to the persistence of violence against women as well as harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation, forced and early marriages, levirate, sororate, polygamy and granting of all decision-making power to men within the family. The Committee expresses its concern that the State party has not taken sufficient sustained and systematic action to modify or eliminate stereotypes and negative cultural values and harmful traditional practices.

The Committee recommends that the State party, with the assistance of civil society organizations:

(a) Put in place, without delay, a comprehensive strategy to eliminate harmful traditional practices and stereotypes that discriminate against women, in conformity with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention. Such measures should include more concerted efforts, in collaboration with civil society, to educate and raise awareness about this subject, targeting women and men at all levels of society, and should involve the school system, the media as well as community and religious leaders;

(b) Address harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, forced and early marriage, levirate, sororate, polygamy and the granting of all decision-making power to men within the family, by expanding public education programmes and effectively enforcing the laws prohibiting such practices, in particular in rural areas; and

(c) Undertake an assessment of the impact of those measures in order to identify shortcomings, and improve them accordingly. (Paragraphs 26 and 27)

____________________________________________________

UN Committee against Torture

 

____________________________________________________

UN Committee on Migrant Workers

 

____________________________________________________

UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

 

____________________________________________________

UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance

 

Countries

Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.